When Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder Becomes Life Threatening: a Case Report of an Adult Male Patient
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Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder When Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder Becomes Life Threatening: A Case Report of an Adult Male Patient Susan L. Bennett, PhD, CEDS; Thomas M. Dunn, PhD; Gillian T. Lashen, PsyD; Jacqueline V. Grant, LCSW; Jennifer L. Gaudiani, MD, CEDS; Philip S. Mehler, MD, FACP, FAED, CEDS* Introduction texture) of food are believed to mediate willing- 5 Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is ness to eat a non-familiar item. While most of the a recent addition to the fifth edition of the Diagnos- research in this area has been done with children, disgust reactions in adults regarding food has also tic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiat- 6 ric Association (DSM-5).1 The primary concerns in been established. Presumably, for some individuals, ARFID are that the patient is not consuming enough particular sensory properties of food signal a warn- ing about ingestion, thereby leading to restricted nutrients necessary to meet daily nutritional de- 7 mands and that food restriction is causing impair- eating. Finally, DSM-5 criteria for ARFID note that ment in functioning.2 These concerns are explicitly some people may restrict food intake because of a conditioned negative response, or in anticipation of addressed with one part of the DSM-5 criteria for 1 ARFID: “the persistent failure to meet nutritional an aversive experience while eating. This has been needs resulting in weight loss (or inability to gain explored in the literature and described sometimes choking phobia phagophobia weight in children), malnutrition, reliance on enteral as a , or . Such a fear is typically associated with weight loss and social dys- feeding or dietary supplements, and/or substantial 8,9 dysfunction in everyday functioning.”1 However, un- function. Anticipatory anxiety regarding the aver- like anorexia nervosa (AN), those with ARFID do not sive act of vomiting may also result in disordered emetophobia have associated issues with body shape or weight.3 eating. Fear of vomiting, or , has been Instead, there is an associated disturbance in eat- associated with reduced quantity of food eaten (to ing that is attributed to 3 different features that lessen the amount of vomit) and food restriction, comprise the second part of the DSM-5 criteria for either by refusing to eat food prepared by another ARFID: (1) disinterest in eating, (2) aversion to par- person, or becoming highly selective about eating only food items that are perceived as having a low ticular sensory properties of food, or (3) excessive 10,11 anxiety about an aversive event associated with eat- chance of inducing emesis. ing.1 These features will be discussed briefly below. In summary, there are 2 inclusion criteria for ARFID: Disinterest in food or eating is often described as one of the aforementioned 3 eating or feeding dis- selective eating (among other terms) and has been turbances and persistent failure to meet nutritional typically associated with unusually narrow dietary needs. Additionally, there are 3 exclusion criteria to preferences and marked reluctance to try new which the eating or feeding disturbance cannot be types of food, lasting more than 2 years.4 Aversion attributed: it cannot be diagnosed (1) in the setting to sensory properties of food has also been identi- of food scarcity or a culturally-sanctioned practice, fied as a feature of ARFID.1 Perceptions about the (2) during a course of AN or bulimia nervosa (BN), negative sensory properties (particularly taste and nor (3) with a disturbance in how body weight or *Author Affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO (Dr Bennett); ACUTE Center for Eating Disor- ders, Denver Health, Denver, CO (Drs Bennett, Lashen, Gaudiani, and Mehler, and Ms Grant); School of Psychological Sciences, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO (Dr Dunn); Behavioral Health Services, Denver Health, Denver, CO (Dr Dunn); Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO (Drs Gaudiani and Mehler); and Eating Recovery Center, Denver, CO (Dr Mehler). Drs Bennett and Gaudiani are now with the Gaudiani Clinic, Denver, CO. *Corresponding Author: Susan L. Bennett, PhD, CEDS, Gaudiani Clinic, 4700 Hale Parkway, Suite 380, Denver, CO 80220 (drbennett@gaudianiclinic. com). 18 Bennett, Dunn, Lashen, Grant, Gaudiani, Mehler shape is perceived; moreover the symptoms cannot ports each patient 1:1, and psychiatric consultation as be better explained by a co-occurring medical condi- needed. 1 tion or another mental disorder. Although ARFID Mr X was estimated to be only 68% of his IBW at pre- unites conditions that are associated with restricted sentation and was found to have bradycardia, hypo- food intake (and not associated with other eating tension, leukopenia, anemia, and profound hypotes- disorders), the particular etiology of disturbed eating tosteronism as a result of his severe malnutrition. can be quite varied. Patients who meet criteria for ARFID are a highly heterogeneous group, complicating Mr X first came to medical attention 1 year prior to research and treatment strategies. this admission, when he developed abdominal pain, rectal urgency, and was found to have excessive stool Only codified in the DSM since 2013, research on the and obstipation. He underwent exploratory lapa- 2,12 treatment of ARFID is virtually non-existent. There rotomy with no additional findings. The symptoms is also a paucity of research regarding those with resolved following extensive chemical and mechanical ARFID who are severely medically compromised. In bowel disimpaction. A recurrence of symptoms fol- this article, we present such a case—a young adult lowed some months later, and Mr X was admitted to male with severe malnutrition secondary to food a hospital with severe obstipation and fecal vomiting. restriction not related to fear of weight gain. Our aim He was subsequently diagnosed with Celiac disease, is to provide guidance for diagnostic assessment and confirmed by both biopsy on upper endoscopy and psychotherapeutic intervention for medically unstable antibody testing. Celiac disease is prevalent in his patients with ARFID. family. He reported seeking treatment due to a 30-pound Case Report weight loss over the past year. This weight loss was In February of 2015, a markedly emaciated 18-year- attributed to the patient restricting intake and follow- old male, Mr X, presented to the ACUTE Center for ing a strict gluten-free diet, as well as avoiding red Eating Disorders (ACUTE) at Denver Health Medical meat, dairy products, and processed foods due to fear Center for treatment of severe malnutrition. ACUTE is of abdominal pain. Mr X also denied eating junk food. a 15-bed medical stabilization unit for medically com- Additionally, he frequently played soccer and went promised adults with eating disorders who require snowboarding. medical stabilization prior to transfer to traditional With his family’s support, he agreed to enter an eat- mental-health focused inpatient or residential eating ing disorder program. However, out of concern for his disorder programs across the United States. Indica- degree of medical instability, the program referred tions for admission typically include patients with an- him initially to ACUTE to begin weight restoration and orexia nervosa restricting subtype (AN-R) whose body medical stabilization. weight is less than 70% of ideal body weight (IBW); patients with anorexia nervosa binge-purge subtype Physical Findings (AN-BP) whose body weight is less than 75% of IBW but who have concomitant severe electrolyte abnor- Presenting weight, IBW, body mass index (BMI), vital malities or prior inability to cease purging behaviors signs, noteworthy laboratory studies, and electrocar- because of severe edema formation; patients with diogram interpretation are given in Table 1. ARFID who meet weight/medical complexity criteria Diagnostic Assessment as described above; and patients with a serious eating disorder and another concurrent medical diagnosis Following an initial diagnostic interview and as- which makes stabilization in a specialized medical set- sessment, Mr X agreed he was underweight and ting preferable and safer. The ACUTE team follows a understood the seriousness of his malnutrition. He multidisciplinary approach to patient care. The clinical explained that his restrictive diet was in service of team includes an attending internal medicine physi- avoiding abdominal pain and/or constipation, as well cian, clinical psychologist, registered dietitian, social as optimizing his athletic performance. He did not worker, physical therapist, occupational therapist, present as being preoccupied with his appearance or registered nurse, certified nursing assistant who sup- driven for thinness. No fear of gaining weight was not- 19 Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder ed. He denied symptoms associated with depression, hospitalization. Mr X had a close relationship with his anxiety or other psychiatric disturbance, and there family, and he was encouraged to utilize those rela- was no history of substance use disorder. tionships for support. Eating disorder type was determined collaboratively During Mr X’s hospitalization, standard ACUTE medical between the clinical psychologist and attending physi- protocols were employed, included 24-hour telem- cian, based on the patient’s clinical presentation and etry, labs, blood glucose checks every 4 hours, warm- the DSM-5 inclusion and exclusion criteria.